Eastern

Cumberland County commissioners approved incentives for Sanderson Farms to build a $95 million chicken-processing plant, while nearby Robeson County and the town of St. Pauls approved incentives for an unidentified company that closely resembles the Mississippi-based poultry processor. The Sanderson Farms plant could bring about 1,000 jobs to the region.

Leases for wind turbines off the coast of North Carolina could be awarded as early as 2016, according to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The agency recently held public hearings in three coastal communities that could be impacted by the turbines. Some residents fear the turbines could harm the coastal tourism industry.

A $110 million delinquent loan will not affect day-to-day operations at Wilmington's Independence Mall, according to a spokeswoman from the property-management group that runs the 1 million-square-foot shopping center.

The N.C. State Ports Authority will shed about a dozen properties and plans to use the proceeds for capital improvements at its deepwater ports in Wilmington and Morehead City. The authority will sell the 42-acre Southport Marina and 11 mostly undeveloped properties in Brunswick, Carteret and New Hanover counties.

Robeson County and the town of St. Pauls will hold public hearings Monday on "Project Apple," an unidentified economic-development project that closely resembles the Sanderson Farms proposal that Cumberland County commissioners also plan to vote on Monday. Newspaper advertisements said the project would involve a $115 million investment and create 1,100 jobs.

Wilmington-based Eshelman Ventures, the latest project of PPD founder Fred Eshelman, announced two investments in Research Triangle Park pharmaceutical companies last week. The investment company was part of a $3.2 million round of financing for Dignify Therapeutics and also co-led a $33 million financing package for G1 Therapeutics.

The developer tasked with rehabbing the historic Prince Charles Hotel in downtown Fayetteville is hopeful Gov. Pat McCrory will persuade the state General Assembly to bring back the historic-property tax credit. The credit, which expired Jan. 1, helped redevelop nearly 2,500 properties in the state between 1998 and 2014.

About 450 people attended an Army "listening session" in Fayetteville Thursday to express concern over potential cuts that could cost Fort Bragg up to 16,000 troops and Army civilians. Civic leaders warned of an "economic tsunami" if Fort Bragg experiences deep cuts.

Members of Cape Fear Community College's board of trustees said ongoing tensions led to the resignation of President Ted Spring. Spring resigned Jan. 22 following questions over expense reimbursements and the use of bond funds to pay for school construction projects.

Principal Solar has acquired rights to build a 78.5 megawatt solar farm in Hope Mills, but the Dallas-based company first needs to secure $173 million in financing. The developer says the solar farm would be the largest in the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains. Principal acquired the project last month from Fletcher-based Innovative Solar Systems.

Fayetteville Technical Community College held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for its $4.5 million high-tech collision repair center. The new program aims to fill a gap in providing skilled workers in the auto-repair industry, which requires more technological savvy than in previous years.

The Fox TV show "Sleepy Hollow" had an estimated $250,000 economic impact on New Bern and provided significant exposure for Tryon Palace, according to the New Bern-Craven County Convention and Visitors Center. Fox has said it plans to move production to Atlanta if the show is renewed for a third season.

The new owners of Fayetteville's Prince Charles Hotel property plan to spend $11 million renovating the building into apartments with street-level retail shops. Project manager Michael Lemanski, founder of Durham-based Greenfire Real Estate Holdings, has led the revitalization of much of downtown Durham over the last 15 years.

Fayetteville and Cumberland County have proposed incentives totaling $6.3 million for Mississippi-based Sanderson Farms to build a chicken-processing plant that would employ 1,000 people. More than 120 people have signed up to speak at Monday's public hearing on the incentives.

The Federal Communications Commission will vote Feb. 26 on whether to strike down state laws that limit government-run Internet networks. Wilson, which hopes to expand its own high-speed Internet service it launched in 2008, and Chattanooga, Tenn., filed petitions last year asking the FCC to overturn the laws.

Lenoir Memorial Hospital plans to sign a management agreement with Winston-Salem-based Novant Health this spring. Under the terms of the initial proposal, Gary Black will remain CEO of the 261-bed hospital. Lenoir posted an operating loss of nearly $14 million over the last five years, according to public filings.